Lots of fun, a little trouble over holiday weekend in Merced County

Hundreds gathered over the weekend in Merced County for a festivities-packed holiday that included fireworks celebrations, parades, barbecues and carnivals.

Fireworks – legal and illegal – filled the sky over the extended weekend, keeping police and firefighters busy, but relatively few serious incidents were reported.

Two homes sustained damage early Sunday in Dos Palos. Flames apparently were sparked by smoldering fireworks that were not disposed of properly, police Chief Barry Mann confirmed.

Details of the fires, including damage estimates, were not available, but police said there were no injuries. It was at least the second report of homes damaged by smoldering fireworks in a week. A Merced firefighter’s home was damaged June 29 when flames spread from leftover fireworks dumped in a trash bin at a neighbor’s home, authorities said.

Firefighters in Merced County received several other reports of house fires Saturday night and into Sunday morning, but those turned out to be tree fires in Atwater and Delhi, officials confirmed.

For the most part, officials said, the holiday weekend was relatively safe and sane.

This story was originally published July 5, 2015 at 3:11 PM with the headline "Lots of fun, a little trouble over holiday weekend in Merced County."